C L Giridhar

Peddamma

2016-10-11T00:27:00.000+05:30

‘Peddamma is serious’ told my mother when I reached home from office. I called up my cousin to find out what happened and he told me that Peddamma has suffered a brain hemorrhage and has been admitted in the hospital. Doctors attending to her have put her on ventilator support and are skeptical about her chances of surviving. I rushed to the place along with my mother and directly went to the hospital to see her.

Peddamma was lying on the bed and looked as if she was in deep sleep. She was on ventilator support and was breathing normally. I touched her legs and feet and I felt some movement. I was happy that she is alive and breathing normally. It looked as if she would get up from the sleep and ask me about my well being. I was waiting by the side of her bed expectedly for her to wake up and hold my hand and ask me when had I come. The duty doctor then told me that since she is on ventilator support, her heart will beat as usual but her brain does not respond. She is brain dead, he declared. I was unable to grasp the point although I knew what he was saying. I asked him whether there were any chances of her recovery. He said there are some more tests to be done after which they will be clear about her condition.

The next day, some additional tests were done and we were all summoned to the hospital. The doctors said that her brain has suffered a severe damage and there are no chances of her recovery except keeping her alive on ventilator support. I asked the doctors for how long can she survive like that. The doctor said, today, with ventilators, blood-pressure augmentation and hormones, the body of a brain-dead person could, in theory, be kept functioning for a long time, perhaps indefinitely. Then I asked the doctor, whether, by continuing to treat her and with ventilator support, can she retain and regain her brain function over a period of time? The doctor smiled at me at said, it is just a theory and they cannot say anything about that. The doctor said that with the severe nature of the injury her brain has sustained, it was difficult for Peddamma to recover. He declared that is she is taken off the ventilator, her body may also be dead within a hour or two.

We were then asked to decide about how long she be kept on ventilator support as the doctors were certain that there are no chances for her recovery. I was of the opinion that she should be kept on ventilator support as long as possible. Even though she was 80 years old, Peddamma had a great amount of zeal and will. She was full of life and had a wish to live as long as possible. She was a cancer survivor and came back strong after her treatment. She used to say that she is not going to die before completing a century. I was sure that with that kind zest for life, a person will live longer and this episode was also going to pass and she would come alive soon.

My cousin and others, were however, were of the opinion that the ventilator should be removed immediately. They argued that when the doctors are not hopeful, there is no point in keeping her on the ventilator. They conveyed the same to the doctors. Since I had no say in the matter, I kept wondering whether that was the right move. The same evening, doctors removed the ventilator and asked us to take the body back to home. I went near Peddamma and found that even after removing the ventilator, her legs were responding to my touch. It was as if Peddamma was telling me that she wanted to live and was asking for support. I went to the duty doctor and said to told him the same. He then said that the heart, which was on ventilator support until now, will beat for some time and as long as the heart beats, the body will respond. He, however, said that this may not last long and the body will stop responding in an hour or so. The body was brought to the home and I was by the side of it and was touching the feet of Peddamma. Every time when I used to touch them, they would respond as if asking me to tell everyone that I am still alive and want to live. I was in tears and came away from the scene and cried alone. After some time, I came to know Peddamma had breathed her last and the last rites would be performed the following day.

The next day, while the last rites were being performed, Peddamma was made to sit and her body was being bathed. It was looking as if she was in deep sleep. I looked towards her I felt that her face was looking towards me helplessly. Was she asking me something?, I thought. Was she trying to tell me that she was not given a chance to come back to life?

I kept asking myself - Was the decision to remove her off the ventilator taken in a haste? Have we committed an error by letting her off the ventilator and not giving her body a chance to respond and come back to life?

After the formal rites were done, he body was put to flames. I was observing from a distance and I noticed a figure resembling Peddamma flying out into the air with her arms stretched towards me. I was filled with guilt and started crying again. When I looked up again, I found that the figure had vanished into the thin air. I kept on wondering – what did Peddamma wanted to tell me? Was she telling that we were wrong when we decided to remove off the ventilator? Was she trying to tell me that she had given many signals to us expressing her will to live and that we could not follow them?

I was completely taken aback and was totally shaken. I kept wondering - Were we guilty of killing her? The question still haunts me and makes me cry when ever I think of her. She may be resting in heavens peacefully, but whenever, I think of this episode I am filled with guilt and remorse. Peddamma lives in my thoughts and her spirit will never ever die.

Visit to Srirangam, Tamil Nadu

2013-11-03T17:16:00.002+05:30

Recently, we had visited Srirangam in Tamil Nadu and other surrounding places. We had planned to go there for a very long time but got the opportunity only now. We started our journey started on the 12th of October early in the morning around 8 AM. Due to a long weekend, many people were travelling and this was visible at all the Toll Gates and the Permit Counter at RTO Check Post. We took the Bangalore-Dharmapuri-Salem-Namakkal-Srirangam route which is around 370 KM from Bangalore. We had booked the accomodation at Ahobilam Mutt near the East Gate of the main Ranganatha Swamy Temple. We reached the Mutt at around 4 pm in the evening and went for a darshan at around 6 PM.

Srirangam is the foremost of the eight self-manifested shrines (Swayam Vyakta Kshetras) of Lord Vishnu . It is also considered the first, foremost and the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). This temple is also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, Periyakoil, Bhoologa Vaikundam, Bhogamandabam. In the Vaishnava parlance the term "KOIL" signifies this temple only. The temple is enormous in size. The temple complex is 156 acres in extent. It has seven prakaras or enclosures. These enclosures are formed by thick and huge rampart walls which run round the sanctum. There are 21 magnificent towers in all prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor. this temple lies on an islet formed by the twin rivers Cauvery and Coleroon.

The next day we set out to Thanjavur and visited the Big Temple, the Palace and the Museum.

The Peruvudaiyar Kovil, at Thanjavur is also known as Brihadeeswara Temple, RajaRajeswara Temple and Rajarajeswaram. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and an art of the work achieved by Cholas in Tamil architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples"

This is the largest temple in India and one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimana or (temple tower) is 216 ft (66 m) high[4] and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (Kalasha or Chikharam) (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is carved out of a single stone and it weighs around 80 tons.There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high.The entire temple structure is made out of granite, the nearest sources of which are close to Tiruchchirapalli, about 60 km to the west of Thanjavur, where the temple is. Built in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola I in Thanjavur, Brihadeeswarar Temple, also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple', turned 1000 years old in 2010.

We then went to the Sri Thyagaraja Samadhi in Thirvaiyur.

Thiruvaiyaru is the headquarters of the Thiruvaiyaru taluk. Thiruvaiyaru is a small, quiet town. However, its modesty belies its importance as a pilgrim centre. On the highway from Thanjavur, you pass five bridges ' over the Vadavar, Vettar, Vennar, Kudamurutti and Cauvery, the five rivers from which Thiruvaiyaru gets its name (thiru = sacred; ai = five; aaru = river). The presiding deity of the Siva temple here, Panchanatheesvarar (in Tamil, Ayyarappan ' both mean the same thing, `the Lord of the Five Rivers') also gets his name from them. Thiruvaiyaru is considered as holy as Varanasi and bathing in the Cauvery here is as guaranteed to rid devotees of sins as bathing in the Ganges.

Near the Siva temple is the one-roomed house where Thyagaraja composed some of his greatest works. On the banks of the river is the samadhi of the saint composer and it is here that the greatest music festival in the country takes place annually. The Thyagaraja Aradhana festival is held in January when most of the leading exponents of Carnatic music come to perform and are watched by thousands of ardent fans of classical music. A huge complex is now under construction at this site to accommodate the large audience that come to the concert in ever increasing numbers every year.

From there we went to Swami Malai temple.

Swamimalai Murugan Temple is a Hindu temple located in Swamimalai, 5 km from Kumbakonam on the banks of a tributary of river Cauvery, 250 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is one of the six holy shrines of Murugan called Arupadai Veedu. The shrine of the presiding deity, Swaminathaswamy is located atop a 60 ft (18 m) hillock and the shrine of his mother Meenakshi (Parvathi) and father Shiva (Sundareswarar) is located downhill. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar. The annual Vaikasi Visagam festival is attended by thousands of devotees from far and near. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

We then proceeded to Thiru Nageswar temple near Kumbakonam dedicated to Lord Shiva (Naganatha Swamy Temple). An important feature of Naganatha Swami temple is that of Rahu bhagawan (one of the nine celestial bodies) sannathi. It is the 29th in the series of Tevara Stalams located south of the river Kaveri. Here milk abhishekam is performed daily during Rahukaalam. At this time, the milk that is poured on the statue turns blue when it passes over the body and once again to white after it reaches the floor. This wonder is watched by many daily during the Raahu Kaalam. This is also the only place wherein one can view Rahu bhagawan with his consorts. The mythological serpents Aadi Seshan, Dakshan and Kaarkotakan worshipped Shiva here. Nala worshipped Shiva here too. Gautama Maharishi, Parashara and Bhageerata are also associated with this temple.

From Kumbakonam we proceeded back to Srirangam and reached there by the evening.
After a night's rest, we went for Darshan of Sri Ranganatha Swamy in the early morning and started our return journey by around 9 AM. We reached Bangalore around 4 PM.
The entire route was good and the journey was also enjoyable. Some of the photographs can be viewed by following the link given below.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117303815313863968519/albums/5935334704138717249?authkey=CLi3mvzSlMzXhwE

Visit to Varanasi and Gaya

2013-05-26T16:38:00.002+05:30

Our recent trip to the historical cities of Varanasi and Gaya was very satisfying. We had gone there with the entire family and had stayed there for almost three days. We visited Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Varanasi Vishwanth Temple, Annapurna Devi Temple, Visalakshi Temple, Kala Bhairav Temple and the Ganga Ghats. We witnessed the famous Ganga Arati which was a treat to watch. We went around all the ghats in a boat and took bath in the Ganga river.

Varanasi is the most historical city of our country and a visit there is a must for all spiritually inclined people. Mark Twain, the English author and literature, who was enthralled by the legend and sanctity of Benaras, once wrote : "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together"

Although the city has very narrow lanes and not very clean, it is buzzing with activity all day. All the city's activity centre around the Vishwanath Temple and the Ghats.

The visit to Bodh Gaya also a very spiritually uplifting experience. It was a fantastic experience to visit the place and sit beneath the tree where Bhagavan Buddha attained enlightenment.

Some of the photographs of the ghats can be seen by following the below given link.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117303815313863968519/albums/5882235558922508225?authkey=CO6Z_u-O06jxHw

Nava Nandi Tour

2012-11-01T07:27:00.000+05:30

Recently we undertook a journey to Nava Nandi Kshetras near Nandyal. We set out in our car early in the morning at around 6.30 AM. We took the National Highway No 7 from Bangalore and traveled up to Veldurthi near Kurnool. We took a right turn from there and traveled around 30 Kms via Ramallakota to reach the Kurnool-Nandyal Highway at Kalvabugga.
The road from Bangalore to Veldurthi on NH-7 is excellent and we covered the distance in almost 5 hours. The road from Veldurthi to Kalvabugga via Ramallkota is good in parts. Almost half of the road is under repair. The roads near the villages are very bad and broken in many parts. The scenery however, was excellent and we took some snaps of the same. We reached Julepalle near Nandyal around 1.00 PM.

The Nava Nandis (9 Nandi Kshetras) are located around the city of Nandyal. A Nandi Kshetra is basically a Siva Temple with a Siva Lingam and a Nandi Statue outside it.

The Nava Nandis are “Prathama Nandi”, “Naga Nandi”, “Soma Nandi”, “Surya Nandi”, “Shiva Nandi”, “Vishnu Nandi (Krishna Nandi)", “Vinayaka Nandi” and “Garuda Nandi”.
The route we followed to see these Nandis was as follows – Prathama Nandi, Naga Nandi, Soma Nandi, Siva Nandi, Krishna Nandi, Mahanandi, Vinayaka Nandi, Garuda Nandi, Surya Nandi. The roads leading to Krishna Nandi, Siva Nandi and Surya Nandi were not good and we had to go through tough and rugged terrain to reach them.

All in all it was a pleasant journey and some of the photos are being uploaded. We started the tour by 9 AM and returned by evening 5 PM. We had engaged a diesel auto and our driver was one with a knowledge of the route and the places.

Diary 2013 [CC No: 1107] - Rs.150/- : Ramana Maharshi, Spiritual Books

2012-08-17T05:37:00.001+05:30

Diary 2013 [CC No: 1107] - Rs.150/- : Ramana Maharshi, Spiritual Books

Recent Trip To Ramanasramam

2011-08-22T06:43:00.002+05:30

Our recent trip to Tiruvannamalai was on Purnami Day where more than 5 lakhs of people had come for Girivallam. It was a totally different experience walking with so many people around the hill. Although personally, I would prefer walking alone or in silence.

The entire stretch was filled up with stalls of various kinds and even the Ramanasramam was full of guests.

It was however an enjoyable experience nonetheless as usual and we look forward to going again.

Kanchipuram Trip

2011-08-21T22:54:00.001+05:30

Our recent trip to Kanchipuram was quite enjoyable. We had started from Bangalore early in the morning and covered a distance of around 300 KM upto Kanchipuram in around 5 hours. We stayed at Kanchi Kamkoti Peetham's Transit House near the temple and had the darshan of the temple alongwith many other temples in the town. We also performed 'Abhishekam' for Kanchi Kamakshi and had a very good darshan. We returned the next day at around evening.
Some of the photos are posted here.

Our Mission in Life

2011-05-15T19:39:00.000+05:30

The performance of our duty relates to the spiritual law or 'cosmic blue print' of our particular birth that has arisen from our prior circumstances. It is likened to the DNA within each cell of our physical bodies. This law of our specific birth is the law of right and appropriate functional action (swadharma) in the context of the given circumstances of our particular life span. It is the law of our human birth, which is like a rose being born as a rose. No matter what actions we take to convert a rose in a lily, it will still grow up as a rose. Creation has already made it choice.
Each of us has a basic nature within us at birth. When we discover our true nature and act accordingly, we can grow up in harmony with this nature. When we are in harmony with our basic nature, we have a sense of fulfillment in life and a feeling of independence. A completeness will be felt within each of our physical body, mind and spirit. When we honor the 'cosmic blue-print' of our own birth, a sense of self esteem and respect for life permeates our actions.

We are made of a variety of birth opportunities and patterns of growth. The fundamental law of our inner birth and growth is the basis for all our actions. If we follow that law, we will experience a feeling of success within our daily life. If we disobey the law, there will be a feeling of non-fulfillment in life. Finding, abiding and acting within the law of our birth sets the stage for our personal harmony and inner peace and happiness.

Discovering and realizing each of our special dharma is the first stage on the path of our inner advancement and outer development. There is a hunger in our soul in the shape of "I want this"; "I want this" (Idam Me syat, Idam Me Syat) and we must find out what exactly that hunger is. Buddha, Vivekananda, Aurobindo and Ramana Maharshi left their home and took to a life in solitude, whereas Janaka, Krishna and Gandhi led a family life and participated in public and political activity. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a Grihastha- Sanyasi. All depends on the call of conscience, the inner urge, the inner compulsion, the pull of our innate nature. When once we find it out or when people whom we respect enable us to find it out, we must be bold enough to act according to that call, that compulsion, that urge and go forward experiencing the freedom of conscience. This applies as much to physical and material growth as to the spiritual enlightenment. This is called the performance of one's own duty (swadharma). This is our life mission, which will bring about integration and completion of our personality. If we discard this principle, we would fall into a mental trap of merely making empty statements and assertions, with no real understanding of our life mission.

[Based on the essay 'A rose is always a rose', published in Mountain Path, October- December 2010, pp 83-87]

Compiled by DONEPUDI VENKAYYA

Sarananti Sarananti

2011-05-11T21:14:00.001+05:30

Saranti Saranti sung by Sri Rallabhandi Sriramamurthy Garu

There is no bondage, we are liberated

2011-04-30T19:43:00.038+05:30

Every living being in this world wants liberation from bondage. There is nobody without this desire. Everyone is making efforts to attain liberation and is praying to God for the same. Everybody wants liberation from diseases, pains, loans, problems, sorrows, mental instability, fears, enemies etc. If we are liberated from our bondage from this earthy existence, liberated from this body, from our mind, from our intelligence, liberated from everything which we call as ‘mine’ (my wife, my children, my relatives, my profession, my money, my status, my education, all my attachments in this world), it should logically mean that we are free from all kinds of bondage! Can we not then get rid of this body by jumping into fire or water, by eating poison, by hanging overselves etc and attain liberation? It has been said by yogis and gurus that this is not a solution to get liberation. If a man commits suicide, he would be born again with greater attachments or would become a ghost. It has been mentioned in the scriptures that the method followed by gnanis to end their bodies in this world is different form suicide. The problem of bondage should be solved permanently. By committing suicide, it is solved only temporarily and is postponed to another birth.

Spiritual practices in all religions are aimed at setting the man free from all bondages and attain liberation. All the religious rituals, worship, pilgrimage, yagnas, donations, the limbs of yoga, pranayamas etc are directed towards the same. But Bhagavan Ramana has said something different to this. He said that bondage means the feeling of ‘I am the body’. To realise that ‘I am not the body’ is liberation. If I am not the body, then who am I? I am not the Mind, I am not the Intelligence, I am not the Vitality, and I am not the Living. If I am not all these, then who am I? I am Satchitananda (existence, consciousness, bliss), I am ever liberated. I am not in bondage; I am Self Realized, God Realized. There is no such thing as bondage for me. If there is bondage, only then I should aim for liberation. Why should I make an effort for liberation when there is no bondage? There is no person on this earth who does not have the experience of the Self. Hence nobody ever needs to make an effort for Self Realization. Nobody can say that he has already experienced the Self, or that he is different from the Atman, or that he is the embodiment of this Body. It is very clear that everybody has experienced the Self. This has been said by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. When there is no bondage at all, the pain, the diseases, the problems, the sorrows, the enemies and other fears the man suffers because of this bondage get totally destroyed. This great message has been given to this world by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. This single message destroys all sorrows, clears all doubts and fears a man encounters in his life. By giving this message, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi has granted a boon of Liberation to all human beings. Where else can we find a greater message which eliminates all sorrows and gives everlasting peace to us?

Although one gets immense pleasure on hearing this message of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and even though it has been said that this is the straightest path in self realisation and also the easiest one, somehow one finds it too far to reach. But this is natural. While explaining this topic, one devotee of Sri Ramana Maharshi gave this example. A man was standing on top of a hill. There was not enough place to stand still on both legs on the top of this hill. On seeing downhill, he saw a deep valley. Even a small slip of his leg, or a slight bend forward or a small stone falling from the top, the man would be thrown into the deep valley and would be killed. His friend then advised him, “you just need to bend a little further or backwards and you will fall into the valley. You need not make much effort, bend a little and you would be relieved of all your problems. It is an easy, straight and a simple way”. The man then said “Oh No, there is a deep valley down, what will happen to me if I bend”. In the same way, the message given by Sri Ramana Maharshi although does look simple and easy to follow, is very difficult to practice and implement. It is an easy path to follow for realized and mature souls, but is very difficult for the immature, unrealised and persons with material attachments. Hence for a person to understand the teachings of Sri Ramana Bhagavan, he should be mature and realised. He should follow the methods which would free his mind to enable him to understand the teachings of Bhagavan easily.

By giving the above example, the devotee tried to prove that Sri Ramana’s path is a difficult one to follow and is not meant for all. But Bhagavan Sri Ramana never said anything like this. Sri Ramana’s path is meant for all, men, women, educated, uneducated, realised, unrealised and anybody can follow this path unhesitatingly. The man who sets out in Ramana’s way would attain his eligibility and authority just by following it. This path is meant for people who are trying to get rid of their sufferings in this material world, for those who are striving or desirous of final emancipation or salvation, and also for those who have enjoyed all the fruits of this material world and are eager to take the next step. Practice is important here and there is no scope for conclusive arguments.

What did Sri Ramana Maharshi actually say? Did he not say ‘there is no bondage, we are all liberated’? These are the words of Sri Ramana Bhagavan, the God. Not only this, even the Upanishads have told the same. The concepts of ‘Aham brahmasmi’, ‘tatvamasi’, ‘ayamaatmabhrahma’ etc give the same meaning. Even as the gurus, the teachers and the scriptures preach the contrary, man always falls prey to the misconception of ‘I am the body’, ‘I am the living’, and ‘I am in bondage”. This is quite surprising and appalling. ‘How unfortunate’ is what Sri Sankara had said, regretting man’s above dilemma. Bhagavan Sri Ramana had said that if man makes constant enquiry about the true nature of his Self, he would experience the self and realise the truth by this self experience.

Every day when we say, ‘my wife, my son, my house, my village, my country’, we know that all these are not ME but my things. Similarly, when we say, ‘my shirt, my book, my spectacles, my watch, my slippers’, we mean to say that these are MY things but not ME. In the same manner when we say, ‘my body, my life, my heart, my mind’, we clearly mean to say that ‘I am not the body, I am not the life, I am not the heart and I am not the mind’. Then where is the scope of the feeling of ‘I am the body, I am the life, I am the heart and I am the mind’? As long as this feeling is not there, it can be sai that that man is free from the misconception of ‘Dehatma’ (I am the body), and is free from ignorance. Can it therefore be said that there nothing else to be enquired and found out? The same truth can be proved in another way also. My wife is an image to me and I am the seer. The image and the seer are different from each other. So I can only say that she is my wife, but on second thoughts the relation exists only in images. The rest is all our imagination and artificial. The entire world is an image to me and I am only a seer. I being the seer am different from the world which is an image. The relation between me and the world is imaginary and is based on these images. Similarly this body is a part of this world which is an image to me and I am seeing it. I am a seer to this body. How can I being a seer become the sight? The relation between me and my body is imaginary. It is based on the image I have created about my body. The rest of it is artificial. The I and my body are two different entities. I am aware of all the activities of my body. I am also aware of my consciousness. I am a seer for it. This subtle body is only the means for the activities of the Self which is ever aware. I am also aware of the thoughts that come to my mind. I am seer for these thoughts. These thoughts are images to me. My mind which is formed out of an image is different from me. The relationship between me and my mind is imaginary. My intellect is also different from me. This relationship is also based on the images that are created about it. In this way, I am different from my body, my consciousness, my mind, my intellect etc. I am having an independent identity which is not dependent on all the above. This identity relates to seeing things as they are and to grasp them as they are. Not only me, nobody in this world is having any bondage. It means that there is no I am the body feeling at all. Nothing else but enquiry would reveal this truth. This truth can be experienced through enquiry. If one can realise this truth that there is no bondage and we are ever liberated, one can be happy always. One would then realise by experience that there is no need to crave for getting liberated from bondage. A drunken man in his inebriated state would sometimes ask ‘where am I’. Similarly when one realises that he is ever liberated, the question of ‘who am I’ would never arise to him. If we say the tree is holding me after holding it firmly, it would be like saying that I am in bondage after entangling ourselves in this material world. Just as we cannot hunt a non-existent lion in the darkness, we cannot destroy the non-existent ‘I am the body’ misconception. The fear, the anxiety, the urgency and the discord is non-existent. It has been said that

Srunvantu viswe amrutasya putra:

We have been referred to as Amrutaputras. The doctrines of ‘tatvamasi’, ‘aham brahmasmi’, have told us the known fact of ‘ayamatmabrahma’. It has also been said ‘Sarvam khalidwam brahma’, which asks us to see the world as it is. There is no need to invent something new and if this fact is not known to us immediately, it has to be reminded repeatedly. ‘Avritti Rasakrudupadesaat’ (brahma sutras) is the doctrine which tells us the above. The ever existing self consciousness and self experience should be reminisced. The experience should be reminisced as an experience. It should be remembered always that we do not have the ‘I am the body’ feeling. We should also think whether there is anything else to be done? What is to be done is enquiry. When we do enquiry, the rope which was thought to be a snake would be seen by us only as a rope. The non-existent snake would not be visible to us. The necklace which was thought have been lost would be visible in the neck. The lion cub which was thought be a goat would be visible as a lion cub. The mirage which was visible as water would be known as a mirage. Even after we know that it is a mirage, water would be visible. But then we would now know that there is actually no water there. After we experience that the Self is not the gross body, we would still be having an affair with the gross body. But the idea of ‘I am the body’ would be totally non-existent.

There is a procedure called the reversal of the sight. Even though it is known to me that the ‘I’ is not the gross body, my sight is set on it. Because of this I am under a false impression that the ‘I’ is the gross body. This is a fact. But this illusion is accidental. To remove this illusion, the sight has to be turned from the gross body towards the real ‘I’. A woodcutter went to the forest, climbed a tree and started to cut a branch of it. He then saw a strange animal in the forest. He thought to himself, what is this? This animal is looking very peculiar. ‘What is this? This animal is looking very peculiar’. The animal spoke in the woodcutter’s language. He was surprised. Can this animal speak? He thought to himself. ‘Are you thinking, can this animal speak?’ said that animal. This process continued. Whatever the woodcutter used to think, that animal used to speak loudly. ‘Oh, I have to kill this animal’, ‘how to escape from this animal’, ‘what shall I do now?’, ‘Will this animal never leave me?’ All such thoughts came to the woodcutter’s mind.The animal too reflected the same thoughts through words. The woodcutter was finally frustrated. ‘Let me not bother about this animal and do my own work’ he said to himself and immersed himself in his work. The moment the woodcutter stopped thinking about the animal, it stopped speaking. After sometime, the axe which was being used by the woodcutter slipped from his hand and hit the animal which was standing motionless on its head. As a result the animal died. This is story the Zen Masters tell their disciples. This story can also be used to
understand the philosophy of Sri Ramana Bhagavan. The first thing that should be done is to turn back the sight from this worldly pleasures. This is similar to the woodcutter turning his sight from the strange animal to the tree. One needs to turn back his sight and then question himself ‘Who am I?’ This is the second stage. After questioning himself, one needs to immerse himself in thee, reach out for the heart and be as his original Self. This is the later stage. This would mean experiencing the ever existing Self. This would also mean re-experiencing the true nature of the Self. This is not attaining something which is non-existent. This is observing the actuality instead of abstraction.This is the Ramana Way. This is straight whisky, unmixed by soda. There are no stages in this. The procedure may have been explained in stages. But there are no resting places in between. This is not a step by step practice to attain liberation. This is an ever liberated way. This is a flight path, not a creepy-crawly path. When we have to jump from one mountain to another, we need to take one long jump. We cannot climb it walking step by step. It is not climbing the stairs one by one to reach the mountain top. It is also not like a man standing at the foot of the hill reaching its top suddenly. It is like a man, who is under the feeling that he is standing at the foot of the hill, who realises that he is actually on top of it. There is no question of this taking a lot of time. How much time it would take to look at the moon in the sky instead of seeing its image in the moving waters of a pond? We just need to divert our sight towards it. But if we close our eyes, we can never see the real moon in our lifetime. If we do not concentrate our mind, we can never remember the forgotten. When our mind is at peace, we instantly remember everything. There is no need to differentiate the ‘I’ thought between the real and the unreal ‘I’. This has been used to remove the doubts and to explain the subject. The unreal ‘I’ is always unreal, whenever and wherever. When we speak forgetting the ‘I’, it is then that the real ‘I’ speaks.

A Christian Pastor once came to the Master and said ‘whenever I speak with you, you ask me not to mention anything about God. This is not right for you. You should have belief in God’. This happened number of times. The Master then said ‘I am ready to have belief in God. But tell me one thing. After you die, will your soul reach your God’? ‘Yes’ replied the Christian Pastor. ‘Then will your body will be buried in the graveyard?’ asked the Master. ‘Yes’, replied the Christian Pastor. ‘Where will “You” go then?’ questioned the Master. The Pastor did not know what to reply and kept silent. He then never ever spoke to the Master about faith in God. The Pastor was taught about his soul and his body, but was never told about his real ‘I’.

Bhagavan Sri Ramana has taught precisely the same thing.

The body manifestations which I experience in the waking state are also visible in dreams in the form of beautiful scenes in the dream world. The dream which I see is my experience. I am a seer who is different from the dreams I see. I do not know anything in the sleep. The experience of not knowing anything is my experience. Who will have an experience of ignorance? It must be only to a gnani, the realised. How can the ignored have an experience of ignorance? The seer is different from the sight. If ignorance is the sight, its opposite would be knowledge. There is an experience of bliss in sleep. That too to me. I am the embodiment of bliss who is different from the experience of bliss. The being which is full of heavenly bliss can only experience the bliss. The being which is suffering cannot experience this bliss. The sleep experience manifests myself into Being-Conscious-Bliss. Even though I am in the three different states of waking, dreaming and sound sleep, I am a seer who is different from these three states. I am in the state of everlasting bliss that is different from physical, vital, mental, intellectual and blissful sheaths in which the human soul encased. There is no question of seeking liberation afresh when there is no bondage. Only the pure self who is not worried about bondage and liberation would remain. What will also remain is the transcendent state which is called turiya and it is beyond comprehension of the wisest souls in this world.

Chalo Man Ramanasram Ki Ore

2011-04-17T12:30:00.001+05:30

Chalo man Ramanasram ki ore

Gnan ka ras jahan chalke hai

Ramana naam se bhor

Chalo man Ramanasram ki ore

Bhakti ki reet jahan pal pal hai

Prem preeti ki dor

Ramana Ramana japte japte

Dikh jaaye chit chor

Chalo man Ramanasram ki ore………..

Usha ki lali ke sang jahan

Ramana kripa ras barse

Arunachala mein raman ke Mandir

Jaate manva harase

Ramanasram mein jaakar sabke

Man ho jaaye vibhor

Chalo man Ramanasram ki ore…..

Ramanasram mein raman ki chayaa

Sheetal man ho jaaye

Man bhi ho jaye ati pavan

Raman kripa jo paaye

Das narayan sharan tumhare

Kripa karo is ore

Chalo man Ramanasram ki ore……….

Sri Ramananandam

2011-04-09T06:33:00.001+05:30

Sri Ramanam Sri Ramanandam

Chidaakasa Guru Chitswaroopam

Omkaaram Guru Tava Saranam

Twamvande Arunachala Ramanam

Om Namoh Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Aruneswaram Nirakaram

Gnaneswaram Muniswaram

Omkaaram Sadanandam

Twamvande Sonachala Ramanam

Om Namoh Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Yogeeswaram Viswaroopam
Sarvesam Sundaresam
Ramaneeyam Ramananandam
Twamvande Ramanasrama Ramanam
Om Namoh Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Ramana Prasthanamu-Book Release function

2010-07-04T20:54:00.001+05:30

After years of toil and hard work, the Sai Mandir at Julepalle was finally inaugurated on the 2nd of June 2010. On this occasion, a bust sized idol of Late Sri Donepudi Lakshminarayana was also inaugurated by his younger brother Sri Donepudi Venkayya on 1st June. A remembrance meeting was held on this occasion where the speakers spoke about the qualities of Sri Lakshminarayana.

Sri Ramana Prasthanamu, a book written by Sri Donepudi Venkayya was released by Sri Donepudi Subrahmanya Sastry, the president of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust. Along with this book ‘Sri Devi Ashwadhati’, a book written by Sri Mellacheruvu Bhanuprasad was also re-released after its reprint. The programme went on as per the following schedule. The programme was anchored by Sri C.L.Giridhar.

• Invitation of dignitaries on the dais (Sri Donepudi Venkayya, Sri C.S.S.S.Prasad, Sri M. Bhanuprasad Rao, Sri D.V.S.Sastry)

• Invocation song by Sri D.Varalakshmi

• Inaugural address by Sri D.V.S.Sastry giving brief of the activities of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust

• Inauguration of the bust sized idol of Sri Donepudi Lakshminarayana by Sri Donepudi Venkayya

• Address by Sri Donepudi Venkayya

• Address by Sri Donepudi Sri Ramamurthy

• Address by Sri C.S.S.S.Prasad

• Address by Sri M.Bhanuprasad Rao

• Address by Smt Kanthamma

• Address by Sri DBK Murthy

• Address by Sri D.R.Sarma outlining the contents of ‘Smrithi Patham’, a book containing reminisces of various people about Sri Donepudi Lakshminarayana.

• Release of ‘Ramana Prasthanamu’ by Sri D.V.S.Sastry

• Release of ‘Devi Ashwadhati’ by Sri. C.S.S.S.Prasad

• Address by Sri Markandeya Sharma outlining the contents of ‘Ramana Prasthanamu’

• Address by Sri D.Naresh Babu outlining the contents of ‘Devi Ashwadhati’

• Vote of thanks by Sri Donepudi Narasayya

Some of the related photographs are being posted.

Ramanasramam Trip in February

2010-03-18T03:56:00.001+05:30

Our Ramanasramam trip this Feb was quite a big one. Our group size was quite big like the one in Sep 08. We had commenced our trip on the 19th of Feb and did the Girivallam on the same night. This time the notable persons present were my parents who were missing in Feb 08. Our Narsaraopet Aamma was also present which made the group unique. We stayed there until the 21st and in the afternoon had come back by evening to Bangalore.

Jayanthi Celebrations in Ongole

2010-01-03T18:23:00.000+05:30

As like last year, this year too we attended then 130th Jayanthi Celebrations of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi at Ongole. Sri O Nageswara Rao had organised this function at his Centre. The function went on well and the chief guest was Swami Dayanada Saraswati who spoke about Ramana Maharshi's teachings alongwith other talks. There was a Satsang orgnised in the afternoon which was basically a question answer session headed by Sri Donepudi Venkayya Garu who answered all queries with great clairity. After an overnight stay there, we returned to Bangalore the following day. Some of the photographs are posted here.

Recent Trip To Ramanasramam

2010-01-03T18:14:00.001+05:30

Our Recent trip to Ramanasramam was on the 25th to 27th of December 2009. This time we could not get accomodation in the Ashram and hence we stayed outside. We did Girivallam on the 26th and we were joined by our colleague Mr. Ranganath who had come with his family. We visited Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram and also visited Kalamkari Exhibition organised by Shri Dwarakanath Reddy Trust.

Vijayawada Trip

2009-11-29T21:15:00.002+05:30

Our trip to Vijayawada to attend the marriage of our cousin went on very well. We had started from Bangalore on the 26th by Seshadri Express and reached BZA on 27/11/2009 at around 3 AM. We went to a Hotel and after refreshing ourselves, we went straight to the marriage hall. After attending the marriage we went to Nandyal and returned to Bangalore today i.e. on 29/11/2009. Some of the photos of the marriage are posted here.

'The baby is alright'

2009-11-18T22:19:00.001+05:30

‘The baby is alright’, said the pediatrician while going into the nursery. The glass door closed behind him and Ram was not allowed inside. Ram stood there staring through the glass window of the nursery. Lying in one of the incubators was Ram’s baby who was born a day before. The baby was born with severe complications to his wife Lakshmi who had a complicated pregnancy. The baby was kept on ventilator for observation. She was delivered after an emergency operation when doctors found out that her growth had stopped inside the womb. The doctors promised Ram that the baby would recover in the nursery after a couple of days. Ram prayed to God and hoped that every thing would be alright. He came back to the ward after some time and reassured his wife Lakshmi and mother about the baby’s health. He told them not to worry as the doctor has said that the baby was doing fine. It was around 10.00 PM in the night and Ram drove back with his father to his house.
At around midnight, Ram got a call from his mother asking him to come immediately to the hospital. The baby was serious, she said. . Ram rushed back to the hospital and went directly to the nursery where his mother was waiting. The pediatrician came out after sometime and seeing his face Ram could make out that some thing was very serious. ‘I am sorry Ram, the baby could not survive further’ said the doctor. Hearing this, Ram’s mother started crying loudly. The doctor consoled them and walked away. Ram put his arms around his mother and took her to a chair. He asked her to be brave and not to tell Lakshmi anything now. After some time, they went back to the ward. Lakshmi was waiting for them and on seeing them she enquired’ how is the baby’. Ram’s mother could not hide her tears and she broke down immediately. Ram, however, kept his calm and did not divulge anything to Lakshmi. He said ‘everything is alright; doctors are attending to the baby. Do not worry’.

Next morning, Ram and his cousin went to mortuary where the baby was shifted. They took the baby and went to the banks of Yamuna river. Ram’s cousin took the baby in his hands and did the last rites. Tears started rolling down Ram’s eyes. All of his family’s efforts for almost 9 months for a safe delivery had gone waste.

‘This is your last chance’, the doctor has said to Lakshmi after she developed many complications during her pregnancy. She developed high blood pressure, diabetes and her kidney related complications. She was hospitalized for almost 5 times during the course of 9 months and a gynecologist, an endocrinologist and a nephrologist had attended to her continuously. The doctors wanted this pregnancy to be successful at any cost as they knew Lakshmi could not take the risk of another pregnancy again as she had developed too many complications. Ram’s family had very high hopes on this pregnancy but all hopes were dashed on that night.

Ram came back to the ward and met his wife Lakshmi but did not disclose anything to her. She constantly kept enquiring about the baby. She had not seen her at all as the baby was immediately shifted to the nursery immediately after the operation. Only Ram had seen the baby and that too when she being taken to the nursery by the pediatricians. The doctors had given her 50-50 chance of survival keeping in view the nature of complications the baby was born with.

Ram could not muster enough courage to tell her the truth. He tried to divert her but Lakshmi won’t listen. ‘I want to see the baby’, she demanded. How long could he hide the truth from her? When he finally told her the truth, hell broke loose and Lakshmi was inconsolable.

Ram just prayed to God to give his family some courage to face the crisis.

The first step is the last step

2009-11-15T23:35:00.000+05:30

The first step is the last step

Posted:

... The first step is the last step. The first step is to perceive, perceive what you are thinking, perceive your ambition, perceive your anxiety, your loneliness, your despair, this extraordinary sense of sorrow, perceive it, without any condemnation, justification, without wishing it to be different. Just to perceive it, as it is. When you perceive it as it is, then there is a totally different kind of action taking place, and that action is the final action. Right? That is, when you perceive something as being false or as being true, that perception is the final action, which is the final step. Now listen to it. I perceive the falseness of following somebody else, somebody else's instructionKrishna, Buddha, Christ, it does not matter who it is. I see, there is the perception of the truth that following somebody is utterly false. Because your reason, your logic and everything points out how absurd it is to follow somebody. Now that perception is the final step, and when you have perceived, you leave it, forget it, because the next minute you have to perceive anew, which is again the final step.Krishnamurti in India 1970-71, p 50

Ramanasramam Trip 07 Nov 09

2009-11-14T23:14:00.002+05:30

Our recent trip to Ramasramam was on the 7th Nov 09. We had planned it just a week before and the Ashram Authorities were kind enough to give us accomodation. All of our family members were present along with Venkatesh and his wife. There were heavy rains all along and we decided to come back the next day when the rain stopped. The unfortunate thing was that we could not set out for Girivallam.

Annual Ramanasrama Trip

2009-11-14T23:09:00.003+05:30

Our Annual trip to Ramanasramam took place on 29, 30 & 31st of August 2009. Unlike last time, this time the group size was reduced drastically and we were only 7 people who had come to the Ashram. The notable absentees were Venkayya mamayya and his family, my wife and others. However, we seven went around Girivallam and stayed in the Ashram for three days. This was the first occasion for Babuji to come to the Ashram. Our Big Boss had come all the way from Delhi and joined us at Bangalore. It was quite an enjoyable experience all the way.

Trip to Lepakshi

2009-08-23T09:03:00.006+05:30

Lepakshi is a small village located in the Anantapur District, in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 15 km east of Hindupur and about 120 km north of Bangalore. The famous Veerabhadra temple, dedicated to Veerabhadra, is located here. Built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna, the temple is a notable example of the Vijayanagar architectural style.[1] It is famous for its sculptures, which were created by the artisans of Vijayanagara empire. A huge Nandi bull made out of single granite stone is one of the attractions in Lepakshi.The place is renowned for being one of the best repository of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar Kings. Many old Kannada inscriptions dating back centuries can be seen on its walls Legend has it that the Naga of the Nagalinga was carved out of a single stone by sculptors while they waited for their mother to prepare lunch.

We had set out for the trip to Lepakshi on 16th Aug, Sunday at around 7 AM by our Car. We took the Devanahalli, Chikkaballapur, Bagepalli route to reach Lepakshi. We had breakfast at Kamat Upachar restaurant adjacent to Bharat Petroleum Outlet which is located on NH7 before Bagepalli. The drive up to Bagepalli on NH 7 was smooth as most of the route was four laned. We had to take a left turn from there to reach Lepakshi. Once we took a left turn at Police Check Post near Bagepalli, the route became worst and it took us almost 45 minutes for us to cover around 25 KM. Just before the temple, there is a big Nandi statue where we took some photographs. Later we entered the temple and went around it for almost an hour. The temple is not properly maintained. Some renovation work is going on and I hope after that the maintenance improves. On the way back we had our lunch at the same restaurant and reached our house back by 2 PM. We covered a total distance of around 230 KM to and fro.

Recent Trip To Ramanasramam

2009-06-29T16:15:00.005+05:30

Our recent trip to Ramanasramam was an unexpected one. Suddenly on Tuesday last, I had thought of going there and sent a mail to the Ashram. The next day to my surprise, the Ashram authorities confirmed the accomodation. Normally they do not entertain such short requests. And there I was, on Saturday morning (the 27th Jun) in Ramanasramam along with my wife. My wife was excited as usual on her going to the Ashram. We spent the whole day in the Ashram and decided to do the Girivallam on the next morning. On Sunday morning, we set out for our Girivallam. On the way, we were helped by a gentleman who asked us to step aside the road because a snake was crossing it. We completed the Girivallam at about 9 am and return to the Ashram after having a Darshan at the main Arunachalam temple.

In the evening, we had the good fortune of hearing the President Shri V.S. Ramanan reading out the English rendering for the day. We also met Sri Swami Shantananda Puri Maharaj and took blessings from him.

Sri Parthasarathy Garu was very kind as usual and gave me two English books for my reading. We returned to Bangalore this morning.

Ramana Jayanti Celebrations and Kotappa Konda Giripradakshinam

2009-01-26T14:40:00.004+05:30

Ramana Jayanti Celebrations were conducted by us first at Narasaraopet on the 10th of January and later at Ongole on the 11th of Jan. In Narasararaopet, there were around 20 people who gathered for the celebrations. There was prayer, santsang and talks on the life and teachings of Sri Ramana Bhagavan.
Later on the 11th, we had similar celebrations at Ongole at Ramana Kendram. We had prayer, santsang, talks and discussions on the life and teachings of Sri Bhagavan. Around 50-60 people were present in the celebrations.
Ealier, our group led by our Guru Sri Donepudi Venkayya had a Giripradakshina of Kotappa Konda near Narasaraopet.

Anniversary Celebrations at Ongole Ramana Kendram

2008-09-29T15:34:00.002+05:30

Ongole Ramana Kendra celebrated its first anniversary on 21/09/2008. The centre was started a year ago by Shri O. Nageswara Rao, a staunch devotee of Sri Bhagavan. The anniversary celebrations began with Narayana Seva in the morning. Later on Puja was performed at 9.00 AM after which there was a Satsang. After the Satsang programme, there was a meeting where many speakers spoke about their devotion and love towards Shri Bhagavan. After the meeting a lunch was organized for the participants who were around 125 in number. In the afternoon, there was Satsang again and in the evening, a bhajan programme was organized.